I have wanted to become a coach for years, ever since I first heard of life coaching. I am passionate about helping people to live their lives to their full potential. I have a range of people management experience having worked in all sorts of different areas of the NHS. There were several reasons why I decided the time was right for me to follow my dream of becoming a coach and apply for redundancy...

What brought you to coaching?

I have wanted to become a coach for years, ever since I first heard of life coaching. I am passionate about helping people to live their lives to their full potential.

What were your original thoughts for applying the coaching?

I originally thought I’d be helping everyone to do everything. Naively, I had no idea about having a niche. I hadn’t even heard of it.

What was your profession before becoming a coach?

I was a project manager in the NHS. I had a programme of quality improvement projects which I had to develop and deliver every year with the help of my staff. So I have a range of people management experience. I worked in all sorts of different areas of the NHS so I have quite a variety of experience there. I was very keen on the quality improvement aspect of the role but was interested in moving that aspect to helping people to improve the quality of their own lives. I always encouraged my staff to participate in any personal development opportunities available to them.

Following a large scale reorganization the opportunity to apply for redundancy arose. There were several reasons why I decided the time was right for me to follow my dream of becoming a coach and apply for redundancy.

Tell us about your journey whilst you were working hard to qualify. What did you find most interesting to learn?

I loved the two day introductory course. I found it really inspiring and it completely confirmed to me that I was on the right track. I met loads of really interesting people and I came away certain that coaching was going to be the career for me.

What was the most rewarding part of the training/journey?

The most rewarding part of the journey was seeing the effect of coaching on my practice clients. When they had a breakthrough it felt as good for me as it did for them. This was particularly evident with the clients who I saw several times. I noticed that after more sessions they trusted me and were consequently more open which enhanced the results even more.

Which bits did you enjoy the most?

I especially enjoyed the values and beliefs module as I believe that changing someone’s beliefs is fundamental to changing their behaviour. I am in total agreement with Henry Ford who said ‘If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.’

How did the qualification slot in with your current life?

I started doing my personal performance diploma just before I was made redundant. I did the work in the evenings and fit it around my family and other areas of my life. It was easy to make the time to do the work because I was highly motivated to do it. After my redundancy I had a lot more time to complete the course.

What else did you have to consider whilst qualifying?

I had to consider how clients were going to find me, which has proved a lot more challenging than I initially envisaged.

Where are you now? How are you using your coaching skills?

I use my coaching skills in my coaching business. I do individual and group coaching, where I run day long workshops which combine coaching with complementary disciplines. For my last Step off your Stilettos day I had a foot treatment and a reiki teacher taught my participants relaxation techniques. The day was aimed at busy women who spend their time rushing around and trying to get everything done so it was a real treat for the ladies who attended.

What is your coaching niche and why did you choose it?

I coach people who need a better work life balance to achieve happiness and become less stressed. Too often we are racing around trying to fit everything in and forgetting why we are doing it all in the first place. I chose this niche because I have experienced times in my life when I have just been so busy and tired I could have cried. When my children were little I combined full time work, and post graduate study with being a lone parent and was completely overwhelmed a lot of the time. My son sadly died 8 years ago just short of his 13th birthday and I felt I needed to totally re-evaluate my life. I now work hard to teach my clients that work is not the only important aspect to their lives and that they need to make the most of the time they have and live their best life. Lots of people receive a ‘wake up’ call e.g. when they have a health scare or lose someone close and realise that there is more to life than work. I want my clients to pay attention to that area of life before those things happen

What is the best thing that could happen to your coaching business in the next 2 years?

I am planning to develop coaching retreats for busy executives – I would love to be known as the ‘go to’ person for work life balance

What is your favorite coaching question?

What else? My clients can always come up with a few more ideas when they think they’ve exhausted all the possibilities.

What do you enjoy most about being a coach?

I love the feeling when my clients have an a-ha moment and suddenly everything changes for them.

What are your top tips for:

People who are looking at coaching?

Think about the way you study best – do you prefer to study alone, in a group, by correspondence? Find a course that fits your learning preferences.

Those coaches currently in training?

Find other coaches in your area – especially those in training. I found it really helpful to buddy up with fellow trainees and help and support each other through.

Coaches that are about to qualify?

Think about how you will market your services before you qualify. Build your networks according to your niche and get a great LinkedIn profile.

People that are in a similar situation to yourself?

You don’t have to do it all on your own. Joint ventures with other relevant professionals are a great way to develop your coaching and increase your networks.

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